In the fabrication of microelectronic devices, application of one or more metallization layers is often an important step in the overall fabrication process. The metallization may be used in the formation of discrete microelectronic components, such as read/write heads, but it is more often used to interconnect components formed on a workpiece, such as a semiconductor workpiece. For example, such structures are used to interconnect the devices of an integrated circuit.
A basic understanding of certain terms used herein will assist the reader in understanding the disclosed subject matter. To this end, basic definitions of certain terms, as used in the present disclosure, are set forth below.
Single Metallization Level is defined as a composite level of a workpiece that is exterior to the substrate. The composite level comprises one or more metal structures.
Substrate is defined as a base layer of material over which one or more metallization levels are disposed. The substrate may be, for example, a semiconductor wafer, a ceramic block, etc.
Workpiece is defined as an object that at least comprises a substrate, and may include further layers of material or manufactured components, such as one or more metallization levels, disposed on the substrate.
An integrated circuit is an interconnected ensemble of devices formed within a semiconductor material and within a dielectric material that overlies a surface of the semiconductor. Devices which may be formed within the semiconductor include MOS transistors, bipolar transistors, diodes and diffused resistors. Devices which may be formed within the dielectric include thin-film resistors and capacitors. Typically, more than 100 integrated circuit die (IC chips) are constructed on a single 8 inch diameter silicon wafer. The devices utilized in each dice are interconnected by conductor paths formed within the dielectric. Typically, two or more levels of conductor paths, with successive levels separated by a dielectric layer, are employed as interconnections. In current practice, an aluminum alloy and silicon oxide are typically used for, respectively, the conductor and dielectric.
Delays in propagation of electrical signals between devices on a single die limit the performance of integrated circuits. More particularly, these delays limit the speed at which an integrated circuit may process these electrical signals. Larger propagation delays reduce the speed at which the integrated circuit may process the electrical signals, while smaller propagation delays increase this speed. Accordingly, integrated circuit manufacturers seek ways in which to reduce the propagation delays.
For each interconnect path, signal propagation delay may be characterized by a time delay .tau.. See E. H. Stevens, Interconnect Technology, QMC, Inc., July 1993. An approximate expression for the time delay, .tau., as it relates to the transmission of a signal between transistors on an integrated circuit is given below. EQU .tau.=RC[1+(V.sub.SAT/ /RI.sub.SAT)]
In this equation, R and C are, respectively, an equivalent resistance and capacitance for the interconnect path and I.sub.SAT and V.sub.SAT are, respectively, the saturation (maximum) current and the drain-to-source potential at the onset of current saturation for the transistor that applies a signal to the interconnect path. The path resistance is proportional to the resistivity, .rho., of the conductor material. The path capacitance is proportional to the relative dielectric permittivity, K.sub.e, of the dielectric material. A small value of .tau. requires that the interconnect line carry a current density sufficiently large to make the ratio V.sub.SAT/ /RI.sub.SAT small. It follows therefore, that a low-.rho. conductor which can carry a high current density and a low-K.sub.e dielectric must be utilized in the manufacture of high-performance integrated circuits.
To meet the foregoing criterion, copper interconnect lines within a low-K.sub.e dielectric will likely replace aluminum-alloy lines within a silicon oxide dielectric as the most preferred interconnect structure. See "Copper Goes Mainstream: Low-k to Follow", Semiconductor International, November 1997, pp. 67-70. Resistivities of copper films are in the range of 1.7 to 2.0 .mu..OMEGA.cm.; resistivities of aluminum-alloy films are in the range of 3.0 to 3.5 .mu..OMEGA.cm.
Despite the advantageous properties of copper, it has not been as widely used as an interconnect material as one would expect. This is due, at least in part, to the difficulty of depositing copper metallization and, further, due to the need for the presence of barrier layer materials. The need for a barrier layer arises from the tendency of copper to diffuse into silicon junctions and alter the electrical characteristics of the semiconductor devices formed in the substrate. Barrier layers made of, for example, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, etc., must be laid over the silicon junctions and any intervening layers prior to depositing a layer of copper to prevent such diffusion.
A number of processes for applying copper metallization to semiconductor workpieces have been developed in recent years. One such process is chemical vapor deposition (CVD), in which a thin copper film is formed on the surface of the barrier layer by thermal decomposition and/or reaction of gas phase copper compositions. A CVD process can result in conformal copper coverage over a variety of topological profiles, but such processes are expensive when used to implement an entire metallization layer.
Another known technique, physical vapor deposition (PVD), can readily deposit copper on the barrier layer with relatively good adhesion when compared to CVD processes. One disadvantage of PVD processes, however, is that they result in poor (non-conformal) step coverage when used to fill microstructures, such as vias and trenches, disposed in the surface of the semiconductor workpiece. For example, such non-conformal coverage results in less copper deposition at the bottom and especially on the sidewalls of trenches in the semiconductor devices.
Inadequate deposition of a PVD copper layer into a trench to form an interconnect line in the plane of a metallization layer is illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated, the upper portion of the trench is effectively "pinched off" before an adequate amount of copper has been deposited within the lower portions of the trench. This result in an open void region that seriously impacts the ability of the metallization line to carry the electrical signals for which it was designed.
Electrochemical deposition of copper has been found to provide the most cost-effective manner in which to deposit a copper metallization layer. In addition to being economically viable, such deposition techniques provide substantially conformal copper films that are mechanically and electrically suitable for interconnect structures. These techniques, however, are generally only suitable for applying copper to an electrically conductive layer. As such, an underlying conductive seed layer is generally applied to the workpiece before it is subject to an electrochemical deposition process. Techniques for electrodeposition of copper on a barrier layer material have not heretofore been commercially viable.
The present inventors have recognized that there exists a need to provide copper metallization processing techniques that 1) provide conformal copper coverage with adequate adhesion to the barrier layer, 2) provide adequate deposition speeds, and 3) are commercially viable. These needs are met by the apparatus and processes of the present invention as described below.